Forget being the hero—why not switch sides? How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler is a hilarious twist on time-loop tales where failing to beat the Dark Lord means deciding to become one instead.
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How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler
FANTASY
Dark Lord Davi #1
May 21, 2024
Read this if you want:
- If you can’t beat them, join them
- Anti-hero main character
- Humorous fantasy
A quirky, light-hearted time-loop adventure.
Davi has spent hundreds of lifetimes trying to beat the powerful Dark Lord, only to lose and get killed, resulting in a reset to try again. She’s sick of this pattern, so she decides that she’s going to become the Dark Lord instead.
This book is quite light-hearted and a lot of fun, with most of the comedy focusing on sarcasm and somewhat on immature jokes. There are definite content warnings for suicide, but note that Davi regenerates in a new life when she dies, so it doesn’t feel particularly dark. The story itself follows a well-tested adventure format, with Davi trying to form her horde and get to the Convocation to get named the Dark Lord. This classic format means that readers are just along for the ride and get to enjoy the story mainly as a love letter to these types of fantasy stories.
In terms of the parts that I liked a bit less, Davi definitely has an immature joking style. While that can be funny, it also occasionally got annoying. A lot of these aspects were in the footnotes, so it’s also possible to skim over them if they get frustrating. I also feel a bit like this could be a stand-alone, but I guess it’s nice to think about what could happen next.
Overall, I definitely recommend giving this book a try, particularly if you enjoy light-hearted adventure stories. It would make a really good beach read as well.
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